Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT

'Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.'

With the turning of the year, my thoughts turn to the garden and the arrival of spring. This year I plan once again to grow from seed a beautifully coloured flowering plant. Commonly named ‘morning glory’, because of its habit of opening a fresh trumpet-shaped flower at dawn, by early afternoon the flower wilts on this climbing plant. However, last year we made an important discovery. Morning glory has a pernicious cousin, also from the convolvulus family, called bindweed, which is a gardener’s nightmare. To the eyes of many, it seems a pleasant plant with its heart-shaped leaves and pink-tinged white flowers. However, unlike its cultivated and manageable cousin, once established it takes years to eradicate bindweed from the garden. It can regenerate from the smallest of broken roots left in the soil and can sink roots to a depth of three metres.

Jane and I discovered bindweed encroaching into our garden last summer and so we went to war! This counterfeit is a destructive menace, which entwines up other plants, walls and fences with its vine-like tendrils, while beneath the surface its roots roam far and wide.

Scripture teaches that we need to vigilant against evil, which is sometimes obvious but at other times is a counterfeit that to the undiscerning can appear to be good. Even when we try to weed it out, if we drop our guard, it quickly re-establishes itself with every intention to squeeze the life out of us. I now use my actions against bindweed in the garden as a practical reminder to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer and as reflection as I consider my own susceptibility to the enemy’s charms.

QUESTION: What are the areas in your life in the year ahead that you need to be vigilant and on guard against?

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, give me the gift of discernment to identify counterfeit strategies and enemy attacks. Thank you for equipping me with your protection to resist and stand firm against the enemy.